1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fastener having a self-centering and self-aligning capability for one-sided insertion and tightening on a slat floor, and more specifically to a fastener for use in an animal confinement pen.
2. Description of Background Art
Animal confinement pens are commonly used to feed livestock in preparation for market. Confinement pens hold animals in a restricted space where they can be heavily fed in order to promote fast growth. Confinement pens may additionally prevent the animals from fighting or injuring each other, and the close quarters prevents the animals from being too active, which results in an overly muscular and tough food animal.
Confinement pens are commonly constructed with a flooring upon which the animals stand or rest, as a dirt floor in a confinement pen quickly becomes wet or muddy and may be a cause of disease or infection. Therefore, slat floors, having regularly spaced slat openings, are commonly used to keep the confined animals up off of the ground while allowing animal wastes to fall through the openings between slats and be disposed of.
A slat floor as is commonly used in animal confinement operations is constructed of precast concrete gang slats available in various sizes, with a standard slat floor being constructed of four foot by ten foot concrete gang slat panels placed upon a support structure. The panels contain regularly spaced slat openings through which animal waste material may pass. In a typical panel, the slat openings are approximately one inch in width. Below the slat floor is a waste collection and disposal area. Above the slat floor, multiple pen units comprised of connected fence panels, feed dispensers, and water dispensers are typically constructed, and may be fastened to the slat floor to prevent movement or damage by the confined animals. Therefore, some type of fastener is commonly employed during construction to fasten the above items to the slat floor, or to later add new pieces of equipment to the confinement pen.
A prior art approach to fastening items to the slat floor is a fastener which may be placed below the slat floor and receives a corresponding fastener bolt through a slat opening. In this manner, various items may be fastened to the slat floor. The prior art fastener has a rounded upper body that is wider than the slat opening and has a central hole and an embedded nut through which a fastener bolt may be inserted and tightened.
The prior art approach has several drawbacks. First, due to the width of the prior art fastener, the device cannot be inserted down through the slat opening from above. This is a big drawback for repairs or additions to existing confinement pen structures, as the alternative is to install the fastener from below by access through the animal waste collection and removal area. This is not only very unpleasant, but may also be inconvenient or difficult, depending on the clearance available underneath the slat floor.
Second, due to the substantially rounded upper surface employed in the prior art, a prior art device does not self-center in the slat opening when upward force is applied to the prior art fastener. Unless the prior art device is restrained by force, it will likely turn in the slat opening when the corresponding fastener bolt is turned. This obviously makes an installation job more difficult and time-consuming.
Third, the prior art device is not shaped so as to force itself into cross-alignment with the slat opening, with the result that the prior art fastener device may need to be independently held in position while the fastener bolt is tightened.
What is needed therefore is a fastener having a self-centering and self-aligning capability for one-sided insertion and tightening on a slat floor.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and improved fastener for a slat floor in an animal confinement pen.
It is another object of the invention to provide a fastener that is self-centering in a slat floor opening when an upward force is supplied to the fastener.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a fastener that brings itself into cross-alignment with a slat floor opening when an upward force is supplied to the fastener.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a fastener that can be inserted through a slat floor opening from a top side of a slat floor.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a fastener that can be tightened from a top side of a slat floor.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a fastener that can be inserted below an existing structure situated on a slat floor.
A fastener for securing objects to a slat floor, having a self-centering capability, is provided according to a first aspect of the present invention. The fastener comprises a body formed of a durable material and having a top surface, a lower surface, at least one side surface, and a central hole extending between the top surface and the lower surface, wherein the top surface of the body has a flat central surface and two sloping upper surfaces starting adjacent to the flat central surface and angling downward toward either end of the body.
A fastener for securing objects to a slat floor, having a self-centering capability, is provided according to a second aspect of the present invention. The fastener comprises a body formed of a durable material and having a top surface, a lower surface, at least one side surface, and a central hole extending between the top surface and the lower surface, wherein the top surface of the body has a flat central surface and two sloping upper surfaces starting adjacent to the flat central surface and angling downward toward either end of the body, and a fastener that is coaxial with the central hole.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.